Howie Roseman’s big offseason move has been an absolute mess so far
Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles went all in on former New York Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff when they signed him to a three-year, $51.1 million contract in NFL free agency. But through two weeks so far, Huff has yet to show that he was worth that hefty deal. There may be some answers for that […]
Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles went all in on former New York Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff when they signed him to a three-year, $51.1 million contract in NFL free agency.
But through two weeks so far, Huff has yet to show that he was worth that hefty deal.
There may be some answers for that and it has to do with 1. How defensive coordinator Vic Vangio has been using him in the Eagles' new defense, and 2. Huff not taking advantage of the opportunities that come his way.
A to Z Sports' NFL analyst Evan Winter broke down the messy Huff situation in Philly:
Huff only has 31 pass rush attempts through two games, which ranks 71st out of 95 EDGE players, per PFF. He’s played 62 snaps on defense, so far. Considering he’s dropped back in coverage two times, Huff has spent nearly half his time defending the run.
Those factors, combined with the fact that Vic Fangio is basically rotating him with Brandon Graham at defensive end, leave Huff with nowhere near the pass-rushing opportunities he should be actually receiving. Especially for a guy making $17 million per year.
Huff has just two pressures on the season.
Meanwhile, 36-year-old Graham who is still playing fewer snaps than Huff, has five.
Winter does point out that Huff was used the same exact way in New York, but the difference is that he's being paid to do much more:
He hasn’t taken advantage of his opportunities when he does receive them. His awful pass rush productivity rate of 3.3% ranks 89th out of the 95 aforementioned players and his 6.7% win rate ranks 69th.
It’s odd because Huff was mostly a rotational player in New York and that’s how Philly is using him, too. Except, this time around, the Eagles are paying him starter-level money, not the Jets.
It’s a mess. At this point, either Huff just isn’t the guy the Eagles thought he’d be or Fangio isn’t using him properly/doesn’t know how to use him. Regardless, something has to get straightened out or the 2024 season is not going to work out for either side.
Looking back at last year's stats, Huff got off to a slow start, and his production started to pick up in the middle of the season.
He ended up leading the Jets' defense with 10 sacks, one pass breakup, 29 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 21 quarterback hits through 17 games.
Those numbers are hopeful but for what Huff is now being paid and how things turned out last year for Philly, they can't afford to wait for him to pick up his production. He needs to start doing more as soon as Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
